


The Way To A Woman's Heart

by TheSoundOfHerWings



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-01
Updated: 2015-02-01
Packaged: 2018-03-10 02:08:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3272861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSoundOfHerWings/pseuds/TheSoundOfHerWings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mike Zacharius and Hanji Zoë are professors at a very elite university. Hanji Zoë is the head of the science department and Mike Zacahrius has used his wonderful sense of smell to hone and perfect his culinary technique, and though not quite the elite scholar that the rest of them are, he's good at what he does. Which is cooking and mainly admiring Professor Zoë from afar until one day, the insatiable appetite of a young girl leads Professor Zoë to his office and his gift of a plate of baked cheese will not go unrewarded. He hopes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Way To A Woman's Heart

**Author's Note:**

  * For [phoenixhowl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/phoenixhowl/gifts).



                      One would never think that a class of third-year university students would ever act like they were twelve year old students released for recess. She should be offended, but she's not. Petra Ral sits on the table in front of the classroom, smiling; she doesn’t mind. It’s better than the classes where no one talks. Today has been a talkative day, which is nice for her, considering she won’t have so much of a sore throat later from the constant lecturing. She still isn’t used to this; only two years she’s been teaching at this school, and on her busiest days, there’s a lot of her talking, a lot of blank looks from the students, a lot of them who would really rather be anywhere but listening to her. She turns her head to watch two students continue the argument of the day while everyone else packs up.  
                      “It’s just a _book,_ Armin,” a tall boy groans. He must regret getting into this conversation because the shorter, blond-haired boy isn’t letting him go. Armin follows his victim across an aisle of seats, catching his bag on one and ripping it free.  
                      “Nothing is _just_ anything, Jean. Don’t be so simple. The book, while, yes, _physically_ it’s a piece of written work, it’s also political. Everything is political, really. You can’t have—you can’t have _anything_ without infusing some type of politics inside of it, you know? And this particular brand of—.”  
                      “Honestly, do you _ever_ shut up?” Jean mumbles. And then they’re gone. Armin, Jean, the two that follow Armin around that never talk very much. All that’s left is Annie, a strong writer with clear ideas who thinks she’s too good to possibly mingle with anyone in the course, including Petra (and Petra thinks she might even be right), Sasha, cleaning up all the food wrappers she’s gone through in one hour and fifteen minutes, and Connie. Adorable Connie, waiting for Sasha to finish so they can walk out together. They must be dating. It's a damn shame if they’re not, though. Petra looks down at her folded legs and pulls her planner toward her, begins filling out the night’s tasks. _Get turtle food. Grade Sociology 203 papers. Ask Levi to coffee._  
                      That last one is crossed out. It’s always crossed out. Penned in approximately three times a week, and always crossed out the day after, undone. Petra writes it for today: February 2, Monday. Then she crosses it out.  
                      Across the room someone clears his throat, and she knows that's definitely not Connie's voice. Petra’s neck jolts up, she pushes her planner away and makes sure it’s closed. Levi's eyes linger there for a moment, and then he turns to the students.  
                      “Hurry up. Don’t you have somewhere to be?” The three of them straighten up, nodding at him. No one, not even Annie, bothers to shoot back a sarcastic answer. No where in any of Petra’s travels at different universities has she ever seen such a mass of people respect the head of security so much. There was apparently an incident a few years ago, very public. Nobody doubted Mr. Ackerman’s abilities after that. She smiles at him, but he’s still looking with interest at Sasha and Connie, who begin talking quietly as they pick up their bags.  
                      “Do you think it would be a good idea?” Sasha says quietly, holding her phone up and scrolling through what Petra assumes is a text message.  
                      “Why else would she email you?” Connie reaches for something in his pocket, and wrinkles his eyebrows when he pulls out a squashed granola bar. “Do you want this? Guess so.” He smiles at her a little when she grabs it out of his hand without even waiting for him to finish his sentence. Petra wonders how Sasha can eat so much; she’s tiny enough that no one would suspect that she probably takes in around five thousand calories a day. Petra wishes she could do that.  
                      “But I’m not even a science major! What could Professor Zoë want with me?”  
                      “Probably to experiment on your excessive appetite and surprisingly functional metabolism,” Levi answers with a shrug.  
                      “Levi,” Petra scolds, sliding down off the table to gather her things up as well.  
                      “What? It’s a wonder she doesn’t have diabetes already.” He’s looking at the collection of wrappers in her hand, no doubt, Skittles, on top of a Pop-Tart, the small individual Starburst wrappers seeping out from between her fingers. The two of them pass by, Sasha’s eyes on the carpet. Levi shrugs at Petra’s scowl and then watches Annie leave too; she looks him straight in the eye, no sign of any real emotion in the lines of her face. Like stone, Levi thinks.  
                      “She must be a joy to have in class,” he says when she’s gone, strolling up the aisles to hand Petra her coat.  
                      “She’s rather quiet, yes.” Petra takes her coat, stares for a moment down at the curve of his nose before she can feel herself turning read. “Did you need something, Levi, or were you just compelled by my presence?” She’s not good at joking; Levi doesn’t even crack a smile.  
                      “Erwin wants to speak with you. He can’t be bothered to leave his office, of course.” Petra tries again.  
                      “And what were you doing in his office, might I ask?” She’s been flirtatious at bars recently, so her smile isn’t rusty. She knows how to place her eyes so that they look inviting, tilted downward, and it almost always works. Doesn’t it? They seem interested; they ask for her number. She declines, because she’s only practicing of course for the real performance. But Levi doesn’t take the bait. He lifts his shoulder, incrementally, and doesn’t say anything. “Right. Sure, yes. I’m on my way. Shall we walk together?”  
                      “I’ll see you there.”  
                      Petra, holding her coat in one hand, trailing it on the coffee-stained carpet, and her stacks of papers in the other threatening to spill out, watches him go before she moves into action. It’s a good thing _Ask Levi Out To Coffee_ is crossed out because there have been rumours lately, about the Erwin Smith and Levi, but Petra has refused to believe it. Levi seems so…she doesn’t want to say “straight” out loud because she knows what kind of looks she would get. Maybe it was wishful thinking. Because if he were straight, well, she wouldn’t be such a bad choice, would she? She’s fit enough, smart obviously, even if she does get nervous the first time she lectures in front of a group of people that she doesn’t know. Maybe she will try again when she gets to Erwin's office. If the rumours aren't true, that is.

 

                      “Sasha, Sasha. No. Professor Zoë’s office is this way!” But the smell of it is so strong that Sasha is walking in the opposite direction, trying to find which office is exuding this heavenly smell of…baked cheese? And some type of meat, too. Sasha is practically drooling out the out when she finds it and stares at the plate in front of a bearded man. She can probably take him down if she has to. He looks strong, but perhaps not limber. She’s small, light. Connie often can’t catch her, and this idiot is bound to be slower than him.  
                      “Hello.” The man raises his eyebrows and Sasha is just about to dart forward when she feels a hand come down on her shoulder.  
                      “There you are, Miss Blouse! I have been looking everywhere for you. Did you lose your way? I know Mr. Zacharius' office is near minei, but I’m not nearly that blond.” Sasha turns to watch as Professor Zoë steps back and holds out her hand. Sasha takes it and then looks back at the man who’s now watching Professor Zoë. Is he smiling? Sasha can’t tell.  
                      “Yes, Professor, wha—?”  
                      “Call me Hanji. It’s much easier, I find. Shorter. Quicker to yell across laboratories when something’s about to blow up, don’t you think? Now, I’m looking for a new research student. And Professor Ral says that not only are you hard-working but you have good insights, as well.” Sasha and her walk up, Hanji’s hand guiding her to the right office. Connie almost follows, but he holds back and turns.  
                      “Er, Pro—?”  
                      “Mike.”  
                      “Okay. Mike. What is that? And do you possibly have a recipe?” Mike laughs. He wonders if he would try the same, were Hanji to be seduced by such simple things.   
                      “Your girlfriend? I was afraid she was going to attack me.”  
                      “She likes food. A lot.”  
                      Mike watches the women across the hall, the young Sasha looking a little perplexed at all of Hanji’s arm waving. She’s a character. Always the most talkative at board meetings, always the first to barge in and demand that she have funding for whatever science project needs to be completed right this very minute. It’s endearing. Mike clears his throat and pushes the plate of baked cheese across the desk.  
                      “Go on, you can take it to them. But you have to take my class if you want to learn how to cook it.” Connie mumbles a thank you and carries it, trying not to drop it. Mike watches the young girl practically faint at the sight. And Hanji waves at him. He holds a hand up in return and doesn’t blink until they all disappear behind her closed door. Well, he’ll definitely be making more of that in the future.


End file.
